Bout 1200 people there. Considering where the town is and its population, pretty amazing turnout. A great day had by all. No one wanted to go home after the last.
Many congratulations to all involved.
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Bout 1200 people there. Considering where the town is and its population, pretty amazing turnout. A great day had by all. No one wanted to go home after the last.
Many congratulations to all involved.
Thanks to the amazing John Peck.
In response to information about Bob Crowe, studmaster of the Adelaide Hill Trotting Stud at Huntly in the early 1900's , he produced the racing records of Larry and Little Larry, both driven by Crowe.
Larry and Little Larry raced at many of our now Ghost Tracks, including this 3 mile race at
Sebastian.
SEBASTIAN 13-06-1883
TROT – 15 sovs – Three miles
R Moortheads BB, 40secs (owner) 2p1
Touchstone, 55secs (owner) 1p2
J Charltons Frederick the Great, 55secs (owner) 3
Others: Kilwarlin, scr (T Jensen), Dick, 25secs (S Lazarus), Black Bess, 25secs (W Gunn), Hector, 65secs (Starr) (sulky), Little Larry, scr (Crowe), Black Jack, 40secs (Rule).
NOTE: Touchstone won by lost race on protest
Margins: Won by neck
There is a half mile training track at Sebastian that is used for training and trialing.
http://mymapstreetview.com/earth/?t2...kaAjcHEALw_wcB
Brave move, seems to have attracted a lot of attention... But they are racing at Wayville
Hope the drivers can count. " And they come into the straight with 4 laps to go..."
http://www.harness.org.au/news-artic...?news_id=33881
https://www.cootamundraherald.com.au...-races/?cs=584
Cootamundra joins the ghost tracks sadly. Kalgoorlie has also had its dates removed next season
:(
A friend recounted driving around the remains of the old Port Albert Racecourse, in south Gippsland when on a golfing trip recently.Quote:
Originally Posted by Amlin
Lo and behold, Youtube and Kyle Galley show us that they raced trotters there.
Here's a trot from 2002.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTTguoCveDM
Yep, that clip is from 2002, the Tarra Festival each Easter Saturday attracted students and horses from the Gippsland Harness Training Centre and other horsemen for "workouts".Quote:
Originally Posted by Adaptor
The course was a sand one of 1400 metres and had a rich racing history particularly with other breeds of horses. I called the Mixed Sports Day a couple of times in my early days in late 90s. No trots then though but bookies betting on locals, Melb and interstate, woodchop, rides, food and drink etc. A mini Oakbank in many ways but sadly killed off by insurance and lack of workers.
Port Albert's track is still there, a few gallopers still use it. We used to work horses there when we lived nearby but we found the local roads better for conditioning them and sending them away for race preparations.
Of course, Port Albert Racecourse had other things going against it. The good - the mosquitoes thinned out during the afternoon. The bad - it was the bloody sandflies that drove them away!!!
They raced at Runnymede (south-east of Elmore) as early as 1871.
The patrons and horses were delivered to Elmore by train from Bendigo, then made their way to Runnymede.
The backmarker in the trot, Fan was off 600 yards !!
A 600yd handicap - I hope the track was bigger than 600yds Noel or else he would be giving the outmarker a lap!
Ghost tracks has been quiet for some time, but thanks to John Peck listing the driving wins for Harry Toomer, who started his career at Rochester, and then drove many winners at central Victorian tracks and Richmond we can add Neilborough.
It's North of Bendigo on the edge of the Whipstick forest on the way to Raywood.
NEILBOROUGH 15-01-1927
TROT – 12 pounds – About Nine furlongs
A LA MODE, 120yds (H Toomer) 1
Millie Direct, scr (D Hughes) 2
Only 2 starters
Margin: Won by 50yds Time: NTT
A La Mode was no slouch:
1921 Vic Bendigo JC Open BenR S
1922 Vic Ballarat TC Open MineR S
1922 Vic Ballarat TC Open MineR S
1922 Vic Kyneton RC Open (Autumn) Kyn S
1922 Vic Richmond Flying (Dec) Richm F
1923 Vic Richmond Handicap (Jan) Richm F
1923 Vic Richmond Handicap (Mar) Richm F
1923 Vic Rochester St Pats TC Open RchR S
1925 Vic Fleet Cup Richm F
1925-Vic Richmond Flying (Jun) Richm F
1926 Vic Richmond Flying (Nov) Richm F
1926-Vic Inglewood Cup Ing S
1927 Vic Elmore TC Open ElmR S
1927-Richmond Flying (May) Richm F
1927-Vic Richmond Flying (Jun)
Classicfamilies.net.au has seen some major uppdates lately. Well done to all involved.
As a result some previously unlisted results are to be found .
Macorna, south of Kerang, where there was once a racecourse
1930 Vic Macorna TC Open Last Roy
1929 Vic Macorna TC Open No Style
1928 Vic Macorna TC Open Gwen Ribbon
1928 Vic Macorna TC Open No Style (Burnt to death in motor trailer accident)
1927 Vic Macorna TC Open Cissie Voyage (ancestress of Showgrounds winners Mount Zanzibar, Cheyenne, Prince Mimosa)
1923 Vic Cobden TC Cup Irene Wilkes
1922 Vic Cobden TC Cup Gay Girl
1921 Vic Cobden TC Cup County Antrim
1920 Vic Cobden TC Cup Rex
1919 Vic Cobden TC Cup St Abbey
1918 Vic Cobden TC Cup County Antrim
1917 Vic Cobden TC Cup Percy
1916 Vic Cobden TC Cup Euchre
County Antrim ( 1907 Baron Rothschild from Corowa by Vancleve ) was a prolific winner: with an amazing story....
County Antrim is an eight-year-old
horse, and in the past three months
he has won three two miles' handicaps
and a ladies' bracelet, and has finished
third twice at Richmond.
According to owner Mr. McCrow, County Antrim is
used by him in the shearing season
in New South Wales, and draws the
owner and baggage in a buggy from
camp to camp. Mr. McCrow estimates
that his horse has travelled nearly
1000 miles in the shearing season,
which lasts four months, and fre-
quently has covered 80 miles a day.
Among County Antrims wins were:
1913 Vic MTC Trotters Hcp (Jul) Richm F
1915 Vic Leura Cup Cpdn F
1916-1 Vic Richmond Handicap (Jun) Richm F
1916-1 Vic Richmond Handicap (Jul) Richm F
1916-2 Vic Richmond Handicap (Apr) Richm F
1916-3 Vic Richmond Handicap (Jul) Richm F
1918 Vic Cobden TC Cup Cobd S
1919 Vic Ballarat TC Open
1919 Vic Terang Cup
1921 Vic Ararat TC Presidents Hcp
1921 Vic Cobden TC Cup Cobd S
1921 Vic Richmond Handicap (Oct) Richm F
1921-1 Vic Richmond Handicap (Aug) Richm F
1921-2 Vic Richmond Handicap (Aug) Richm F
1922 Vic Leura Cup Cpdn F
1922 Vic Bendigo JC Open BenR S
1922 Vic Ararat TC Presidents Hcp Ar-AP S
1922 Vic Linton St Pats TC Open Lint S
1922 Vic Ballarat TC Open MineR S
1923-2 Vic Richmond Handicap (Sep)
Really interesting Noel
Wouldn't a ghost tracks road trip be a great adventure.
I could see Danno tackling it once he has ticked off Broken Hill
Great idea Kev, Love the idea of navigating by trotting tracks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
I once took a lady to visit Alexandra Park in Auckland, with the expectation by her that it was going to be the botanical gardens. ( She now knows better!)
Tomorrow, after a bit more research: Linton, and believe it or not, they trotted at Hanging Rock.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adaptor
Having now met Noel, I just have to ask. Was it a Spring meeting, did you actually get to the races? http://www.harnessracingforum.com/im...ons/icon11.png http://www.harnessracingforum.com/im...ons/icon11.png :D
Hi WayneQuote:
Originally Posted by arlington
We were on a cruise, stopped over 2 nights and did see the Trots.
A few years later, when living in Wellington, there was no mistaking gritty Hutt Park for the Botanical Gardens. I went on my own!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adaptor
There was a St Pats Race Club at Linton
/www.google.com.au/maps/place/Linton+VIC+3360/@-37.6834316,143.5674257,309m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x6ad3d9d42f04d775:0x40579 a430a0baf0!8m2!3d-37.683333!4d143.566667?hl=en
1928 Race Discontinued
1927 Harold Wee 191-
1926 Comely Bells 1918
1925 Peverley Mauritius1916
1924 Princess Bells 1915
1924 Lue Ribbons 1915
1923 Maiden Bells 1913
1922 County Antrim 1907
1921 Welcome Abbey 1911
County Antrim raced and won here ...see his history above under Cobden. He covered more miles than Burke and Wills !
Noel went for a walk in the area recently and sent me these pics of where Ascot track once wasQuote:
Originally Posted by Adaptor
Nothing special there - let's do a back to the future and rebuild :D
As a very green teenager we used to jog our horses, many times leading another, down Kent Street (an OD route) and across Ascot Vale Rd into Dunlop Avenue and across Epsom Rd into the Showgrounds for work. Apart from cringing fro the thought of trying to emulate those heroics in today's traffic I remember wondering why so many "tradies utes" were parked outside the Dunlop Ave housing commission flats.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Those flats were usually occupied by single mums. I never knew so many single mums worked as plumbers, chippies and sparkies in the early to mid seventies. On the way back from the track I noticed they had all gone to work and assumed the kids must get themselves to work! I was set right as to what the habitation rites were in those flats when I was older, but still naive, by mates I met for a few beers once a week. Most of them were plumbers, chippies and sparkies ��!
We used to trial at Blacktown showground on a Sunday I think the groung the track circled is still there, Trialed at Hawkesbury in the centre of the gallops track, it was right handed and then swapped to left and had a couple of drives at Richmond on the grass dirt etc it was both in places they changed it from right to left as well and the home straight was very short.
Dean Hoffman, former editor of the USTA's Hoof Beats has written about five historic sites in the US.
The first two, Roosevelt Raceway on Long Island, and Good Time Park at Goshen, are both in New York.
Great reading: https://harnessracingupdate.com/2020...ood-time-park/
Good Time Park,, Goshen NY,
While looking into the many horses bred and raced by Jack McKay (Minyip Jack) , with Jack McKay ( JP McKay) training them at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.
......I wondered whether they might have started their careers locally...at the Minyip Showgrouds..some of them did as they raced from 1919 to 1948.
The winners of the annual Minyip St Pats Trotting Club Open:
1941 Race Discontinued
1940 Don Ariel
1939 Admiral Derby
1938 Shire Wealth
1937 Shire Wealth
1936 Sams Wonder
1935 Last Principal
1934 Boy Wonga
1933 Miss Wonga
1932 Too Honest
1931 Boy Wonga
1930 Boy Wonga
1929 Plain Grattan
1928 Rowall Voyage
1927 Direct Girl
1926 Flying Ribbon
1925 Flying Ribbon
1924 Gratified
1923 Bettyshire
1922 Norvals Pride
1921 Blue Isles
1920 Madge Huon
1919 Desert Rose
1918 Dublin Post
1917 Valaze
1916 Experiment
1915 Blythe Maid
Glenorchy is a tiny dot on the Wimmera Highway, just out of Stawell. (Kev territory).
They trotted there.
Was this the track, or was it next door on what is now the golf course?
Queen's Voyage, the 1924 winner of The Glen Trot, was no slouch..winning in Victoria and then Kalgoorlie.
1924 Vic The Glen Trot, Glenorchy
1925 Vic Horsham/Wimmera Cup
1925 Vic Horsham TC Handicap
1926 Vic Horsham TC Flying
1928 WA Goldfields Trotting Cup
1928 WA Goldfields Easter Cup
The Main race at Glenorchy was The Glen Trot (Thanks to www.Classicfamilies.net)
1940 Vic The Glen Trot Dingley Dell
1938 Vic The Glen Trot Derwent Derby
1937 Vic The Glen Trot Derwent Derby
1936 Vic The Glen Trot West Wonga
1931 Vic The Glen Trot Truvale
1930 Vic The Glen Trot Abbey May
1929 Vic The Glen Trot Duke Alto
1928 Vic The Glen Trot Blacksmith
1927 Vic The Glen Trot Kelvinshire
1926 Vic The Glen Trot Abbey May
1925 Vic The Glen Trot Jean Galindo
1924 Vic The Glen Trot Queens Voyage
1923 Vic The Glen Trot Siams Gift
1922 Vic The Glen Trot Blonde Beauty
1921 Vic The Glen Trot Yellow Jack
1919 Vic The Glen Trot Almona
I note in the 70's Year Books that Maryborough QLD used to have more than 52 meetings a year. Every Saturday they would run 3 races with some of the R1 horses competing in R3 - in fact it was not uncommon for a horse to win both
I wondered what became of the track (not listed on HRA's Tracks page), although being the Showgrounds it is probably still there - so what happened to the racing?
I found a story in The Gympie Times that said racing was returning in Jan 2010 after more than 20yrs absence but I am guessing it must have been short lived
https://www.gympietimes.com.au/news/...wakens/425583/
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...s/?mc=OX100110Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
That meeting was abandoned
Further article here
https://www.frasercoastchronicle.com...g-bac/2148898/
Thanks for those Breno. Very informative
I am guessing the cost of fencing (to protect the viewing public?) has been deemed too expensive for the meetings promised